McLaren F1 2025, Oscar Piastri interview, FIA technical directive, F1 Spain GP, flexible front wing, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris
Many in the paddock are questioning the real impact of the new technical directive on front wings, which comes into effect this weekend in Barcelona. Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, has been claiming for months that it could mark a turning point in McLaren F1’s dominance this season.
Oscar Piastri was asked about the matter this Thursday in Spain, and, in line with his team’s stance, he displayed unwavering calm. He revealed that the front wing compliant with the new flexibility directive had already been used by Lando Norris earlier this season.
Piastri Downplays Wing Impact
“I think the biggest issue will probably be the exaggeration surrounding it. We know what’s different. I think everyone will have to change, at least to some extent. I haven’t driven with the front wing, but Lando has already used it this year,” Piastri revealed.
“I’m not worried at all. Maybe it will change things, it will be interesting to see how it affects the teams, possibly all teams, but it’s not going to flip everything upside down. It might change the competitiveness of some teams.”
Indeed, the main visible change seen on the MCL39’s wing today is the addition of a second support between the two upper flaps of the endplates, and photos from Imola show a similar configuration.
Piastri Values Team Harmony
Despite the title fight developing between them, Piastri and Lando Norris have established a modus operandi to avoid collisions and conflicts that could cause tension within the team, as the Australian explains.
“It’s impossible to have your own personal objective running in parallel with the team’s. At the end of last year, we had the feeling that if we started this year with a car as competitive as the one we ended with, we’d be in this situation.”
“I think we’ve done a very good job of being open about it and discussing it. But we would never do anything unsporting or that would put the team in a bad light or ourselves in a bad light. I don’t think Lando and I are like that.”
He acknowledges that the situation could quickly become delicate if a line is crossed. “Of course we want to fight every weekend, but we’ll never cross the line that causes irreparable damage. I’ve said this many times before, we don’t want to have just one shot.”
“We’re both at McLaren for a very long time after this year, and we want to be fighting for the championship every year. And I think we both understand that trying to win one championship by tearing the whole house down isn’t very smart.”
Piastri Reflects with Optimism
Asked to assess the start of the season, the current championship leader was understandably upbeat and praised his team’s reaction when things didn’t go perfectly. “It’s been a very good first third of the season, hard to complain.”
“The results have been good, but overall, it’s been very satisfying. We’ve had some very strong weekends, a few small issues here and there and some areas to improve on, but I’m happy and I want to keep going like this.”
“I was a bit more on the back foot than in other weekends, it was probably the toughest one so far this year, but we understood why. We know we’re going to have tough moments, but as long as we learn from them, that’s what matters.”
Piastri Ready to Yield
Piastri Open to Losing F1 Title to Verstappen if McLaren Battle Intensifies
Both McLaren F1 drivers are in the title hunt, but Max Verstappen currently sits third, just 25 points behind Oscar Piastri, the current championship leader.
After one-third of the season, the gap remains relatively small considering how much the MCL39 has – more or less – dominated races.
Piastri Prioritises Fair Fight
While Zak Brown still refuses to name a number one driver, does Piastri fear Verstappen might ultimately take advantage and snatch the title?
“It’s a possibility, yes,” the Australian admits.
“But from both sides of the garage, for Lando and me, we want to win because we’ve been the best driver, the best team, including against the other car in the team. We always want to win on merit and beat everyone, including our teammate.”
“That gives both Lando and me the best chance of reaching our personal goals – to become world drivers’ champions – while securing the main result for the team, the constructors’ championship.”
“If Max beats us, of course it would hurt, but we’d know we both had equal opportunities, that we were racing everyone, and that’s how it went.”
“For us, that’s the simplest and fairest way to race, and it’s what we asked for.”
Piastri Eyes F1 Crown
And does he think about the possibility of ending the year as world champion?
“A little, yes. But I’ve already thought about it before this year.”
“It’s very easy to say, ‘Yes, this is the situation I’m in,’ but what I’ve done over the past ten years, especially the last two, is prepare for this situation.”
“And it’s very easy for me to say, ‘If I nail this practice session, this qualifying session, this race, my championship will naturally start to come together.’ It’s obviously still very early in the season, and the further we go, the more the pressure builds.”
“Some decisions made on track might change. But for now, it’s simply about scoring as many points as possible and trying to win every race. There’s no need to overthink things at this stage.”
Piastri believes he shares Verstappen’s ‘no-compromise’ approach
Oscar Piastri believes he has the same approach to on-track battles as Max Verstappen, though it manifests in a less aggressive way than that of his rival. The McLaren F1 driver notes, however, that both of them are uncompromising.
“Even without Max saying it, just by watching him for years and racing against him, I already knew,” Piastri told BBC Sport. “Honestly, I feel like maybe it’s a slightly less forceful approach.”
“But it’s certainly no different. Max and I race against each other in a pretty similar way. It’s very robust, uncompromising, and I think we both push the limits to a certain degree.”
The Australian believes it’s difficult to find the right balance for a clean battle: “I always try to be fair, but the line is very thin between a tough but fair fight and crossing the line.”
“And it’s always difficult to find that balance. I feel like we both have a lot of respect for how each other races. We know what to expect, especially after a few battles this year.”
Calm Mind, Aggressive Moves
However, he admits he sometimes has to make a conscious effort not to cross that fine line: “I don’t know if it’s down to my genes. But there’s a lot of conscious effort to maintain that.”
“Maybe it comes a bit more naturally, but you have to try to stay in that sweet spot where you can be calm and know what works for you. I’m still a human being and I still have emotions, so I always have to control them.”
“That’s one of my strengths. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m probably as calm as I seem. There are obviously moments in the car where my emotions are tested. But that brings us back to the work we do, putting things in perspective.”
Are his more measured moves linked to his personality? Piastri thinks it’s possible: “I don’t know if it’s a parallel, but they’re certainly connected.”
“In a way, they’re opposites, aren’t they? My calm personality and some of my overtakes are on the aggressive side. But I think those moves come from the fact that I’m able to be calm and think clearly.”
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